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The Monster and “Little Maria”, from the NYPL

In her fourteen year career, actress Marilyn Harris appeared in sixteen films – only two of them featured her credits. Retiring at the age of 19, her film roles where all roles as a small child or young adult. Despite her relatively small amount of film appearances, Marilyn Harris has, perhaps, one of the most famous– or infamous– scenes in film history.

In 1931, Universal Studios was in the horror business. At the time, they were producing a version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, starring the up-and-coming horror actor Bela Lugosi.  Among the Lugosi curveball, original director Robert Florey left the project. Soon, Universal casted Boris Karloff to star as Frankenstein’s Monster and James Whale to direct the film – catapulting their careers.

For young Marilyn Harris, only seven years old, being casted in Frankenstein was unmemorable. In an interview for a book about actresses starring horror movies from the 1930s to 1960s, she recalls not auditioning for any part in Frankenstein. Vividly, Harris says she got up one morning, after being selected to star in the film, and went to the studio without the knowledge of knowing her part in the film.

Within a few short days, Harris learned she was casted as “Little Maria”, the young girl Frankenstein’s Monster accidentally kills after throwing her in the lake. The story behind the storied death is about as iconic as the scene.